Skip to main content

5 Questions with TMC Innovation Institute Director Tom Luby

Published Apr 15, 2019 by Maggie Martin

 

TMC Innovation Institute

 

Tom Luby was recently named director of the Texas Medical Center Innovation Institute. Luby previously headed up JLABS @ TMC.

Below, Luby shares his priorities, what he's looking forward to most this year and how the institute fits in with the rest of Houston's innovation ecosystem. 

What are your priorities as Director of the Texas Medical Center Innovation Institute?

The Texas Medical Center’s goal is to serve its 61 [institution] members, and everything we do stems from that. At the TMC Innovation Institute, we’re focused on attracting companies from around the globe and showing them the value of establishing a presence in the largest medical city in the world. We want to work with those companies, open doors for them and provide them with solutions that will meet their needs.

We are continuing to build upon the success of TMC Biodesign, our fellowship program that unites the talents of innovators in order to quickly bring breakthrough products to market. And, of course, we will continue to grow our signature TMCx accelerator program, which provides startup companies with shared workspace, a curriculum for entrepreneurs and access to more than 200 advisors. We've had more than 250 companies come through the Innovation Institute that have received more than $900 million in funding, so we’re doing well. But I’m eager to add even more fuel to that fire. 

We also want to engage with corporate partners and believe it’s critical that major health care companies establish significant footprints in Houston. Importantly, we’re also working to bring more startup capital to Houston, which is critical to fostering the success of early-stage companies in Houston. 

What are the projects and initiatives you’re excited for most this year? 

This summer, we will open TMCxi at our John P. McGovern Campus on Holcombe Boulevard. It will be nearly 25,000 square feet of Class A office space that provides a turnkey solution for industry partners who seek to establish a presence in our growing health care ecosystem.

We see TMCxi as an amazing resource for technology companies, venture capitalists and others who want to be in the heart of the Texas Medical Center. It’s an important part of the TMC Innovation Institute, and we’re eager to welcome our new partners here. 

Why is innovation in health care—and at the TMC—so important? 

It’s important that we always remember: it’s all about the patients. We have a growing population of older adults, and we all know that end-of-life health care tends to be the most expensive. We need solutions that will provide people with the opportunity to live longer, healthier, high-quality lives, and hopefully prevent them from becoming long-term patients. 

When we talk about innovation, we often talk about devices, but we’re also talking about other forms of innovation. We want to see innovation in the way that health care is packaged and delivered too. Health care is expensive, and it needs to be more efficient. We think innovation means addressing those challenges as well. 

How does your organization fit into Houston as a growing innovation hub?

The TMC Innovation Institute is on the leading edge of Houston’s growing health care startup ecosystem. Our job is to enable our members to more efficiently turn their work in basic science and translational research into new products that will ultimately help patients. It’s also to connect our members to the startups that are developing the tools they need to continue providing world-class, cutting-edge health care. Additionally, our role is to recruit health care capital that can provide the crucial funding startups need to deliver on the promise of innovation.

We are engaging with large health care companies and showing them the tremendous value of establishing a presence in a place that’s home to 9,000-plus patient beds and some of the top researchers and clinicians from around the world. Importantly, we recognize that top talent has the opportunity to work anywhere, so we continue to play a key role in recruiting the world’s best to the Texas Medical Center.

The TMC Innovation Institute’s vision is “to become the global leader in health and life science innovation.” How do you envision meeting that goal?

We’re going to continue pushing to grow and develop that startup ecosystem here. We’ll be working with our member institutions to do that, as well as other partners in the startup space here in Houston. There is so much momentum right now. I think it’s increasingly clear to the world that if you’re a health care startup, you really need to have a foothold in the Texas Medical Center.

I keep saying this, but that’s because it’s so important. A big part of accomplishing our goals will require more and more startup capital to invest in early-stage companies in Houston. We’re putting our money where our mouth is and investing $25 million in early-stage companies through the TMC Venture Fund. It’s our job to continue drawing the talent here, and to show the value of investing in our ecosystem. If you’re a venture capitalist or corporate partner interested in what’s happening in our health care startup ecosystem — come see us. 

Related News

Life Sciences

Houston’s Biotech Ecosystem: The Ideal Launchpad for Life Sciences Startups

3/28/25
Launching a biotech startup is one of the most difficult undertakings in science and business. For Sarah Hein, founder and CEO of March Biosciences, choosing Houston made all the difference.  While most early-stage companies struggle to navigate the so-called "valleys of death" — the critical and often underfunded stages between research breakthroughs and real-world treatments — March Biosciences found the support it needed to move fast and scale its innovation. Hein credits Houston’s robust life sciences ecosystem for making that possible – saying Houston is one of the few places where you can go from the lab to commercialization.   “Houston has unique infrastructure and opportunities that made building March Bio here an obvious choice—the scientific and medical expertise of the largest medical center in the world, the local talent pool from that medical center, and then partnership opportunities,” Hein told the Greater Houston Partnership.  Want to learn more about Houston’s life sciences and biotech ecosystem, connect with the Partnership’s Global Life Sciences Sr. Director Verena Kallhoff.  From Research to a Life-Saving Therapy  March Bio was founded out of the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy (CAGT), a collaboration among Baylor College of Medicine (BCM), Houston Methodist and Texas Children’s Hospital. At the CAGT, March Bio worked with scientists to develop its lead therapy, MB-105, a CAR-T cell treatment targeting T-cell lymphoma and T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, two aggressive cancers with limited treatment options.  CAR-T cell therapy involves collecting a patient’s own immune cells, engineering them to better recognize and attack cancer, and then reintroducing them into the body. Proximity to patients is essential for this personalized approach, and Houston’s concentration of clinical expertise makes it an ideal hub. As of mid-2024, the region hosted more than 2,200 active clinical trials, accounting for 11 percent of all trials in the U.S.  MB-105 showed a 44 percent patient response rate in Phase 1 trials at BCM. With that early success, March Bio turned to Houston’s ecosystem to accelerate its development.  Strategic Partnerships   In 2023, March Bio announced a strategic alliance with the CTMC, a joint effort between National Resilience and MD Anderson Cancer Center. CTMC provides biotech startups with comprehensive support, from development and manufacturing to regulatory guidance.   “Our close collaboration with MD Anderson Cancer Center provides access to leading regulatory expertise and one of the world's largest clinical trial programs, ensuring promising therapies reach patients faster,” Amy Hay, Chief Business Officer of CTMC, told the Partnership.  CTMC’s infrastructure enabled March Bio to grow without the financial burden of building its own facilities. “By taking on the heavy operational costs—housing the program in our 60,000 SF industrial-grade cGMP facility—CTMC enabled March to remain lean and focused on innovation,” she explained.   Fueling Growth Through Investment  Beyond research and partnerships, Houston offers the capital resources biotech companies need to grow, and March Biosciences has tapped into them at every stage of its journey.   The company secured early investment from the TMC Venture Fund and Portal Innovations, a venture capital firm that expanded to Houston in 2023 with the goal of supporting startups through funding, lab space and commercialization expertise.  “Portal’s investment in Houston is a mark of the growth and potential of the ecosystem,” said Hein. “March was their first biotech deal in Houston, and that early seed capital allowed us to get a lot of critical work done which set us up for our later financing success.”   March Bio’s momentum continued in 2024 with a $28.4 million Series A financing round, bringing its total amount raised to over $51 million.  Today, March Bio operates out of Portal’s labs at TMC Helix Park, where the company is currently conducting ongoing product development and early-stage discovery work.  State-level funding has been instrumental in fueling March Bio’s growth, with the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) playing a significant role. March Bio was awarded a $13.4 million CPRIT grant to support its Phase 2 clinical trial. What sets CPRIT apart is that it is a state agency, established and funded by the State of Texas, making it one of the largest state-funded efforts against cancer. CPRIT has provided more than $3 billion in funding for cancer research and biotech innovation across Texas, contributing to a thriving life sciences ecosystem. With $6 billion dedicated to advancing cancer breakthroughs, CPRIT’s comprehensive approach supports the entire cancer care continuum while driving economic growth by attracting biotech companies and creating jobs. The company also received support from the Cancer Focus Fund, a MD Anderson–backed initiative that helps advance promising oncology therapies toward commercialization.  A Houston Success Story  Just four years after its founding in 2021, March Bio has advanced into Phase 2 trials and earned FDA orphan drug designation for MB-105. This designation is an important milestone that provides incentives such as tax credits and market exclusivity for rare disease treatments.  “Houston is home to the largest medical center in the world, with particular excellence in oncology, cardiovascular, and neurology research,” said Hein. “Patients come from all over the world to access the world class clinicians and novel clinical trials. Frankly, I think we simply have to keep doing the hard work of translating that leading research into the clinic, focusing on collaboration and growing our bench of talent, and the growth will follow.”  With its interconnected network of research institutions, capital resources, and strategic partners, Houston is proving to be a top destination for biotech companies. As the region continues investing in life sciences, more innovators like March Biosciences are expected to emerge, driving groundbreaking discoveries from concept to commercialization. 
Read More
Health Care

Texas Children’s Hospital, MD Anderson Cancer Center Announce Joint Venture Dedicated to Pediatric Cancer Care

2/21/25
Texas Children’s Hospital and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have announced a new joint venture aimed at advancing pediatric cancer treatment.   According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 24 percent of Texas' population is under 18 years old, and Texas Oncology reports that over 1,700 children under the age of 20 are diagnosed with cancer, with nearly 200 losing their lives to the disease annually. This makes the need for life-saving treatments more crucial than ever.  By combining the expertise and resources of two of the nation’s leading medical institutions, the partnership will expand access to clinical trials, catalyzing innovative discoveries that can bring treatments to young patients faster.  “The scope and scale of our combined effort will build the world’s preeminent pediatric cancer center, addressing the growing need for excellent patient care and greatly benefiting children with cancer through increased access to care and to clinical trials,” Dr. Peter WT Pisters, president of MD Anderson, said in a press release. “MD Anderson and Texas Children’s offer unique strengths that when brought together will accelerate improved outcomes for patients in Texas and around the world.”  Set to launch in early 2026, the joint venture will prioritize the creation of new facilities designed to enhance the overall patient experience, featuring state-of-the-art medical technology and a “best-in-class healing environment.”  The care team will include 200 Texas Children’s pediatric oncology specialists who are full-time faculty with Baylor College of Medicine and more than 100 MD Anderson pediatric clinicians and researchers.  “This groundbreaking collaboration between two proven leaders in pediatric and cancer care marks the beginning of a new era in the fight against childhood cancer,” Debra Sukin, president and chief executive officer of Texas Children’s, said in the release. “The combined force of our two iconic programs will be led with the nation’s top talent—from clinicians and researchers to nurses and administrative professionals—each committed to realizing the shared mission of eradicating pediatric cancer.”  The initiative will also invest in pediatric oncology education programs, ensuring that the next generation of medical professionals is equipped with the tools and knowledge needed to continue advancing pediatric cancer treatment.  The partnership between Texas Children’s and MD Anderson showcases Houston’s dedication to advancing cancer research and pioneering life-saving treatments. In line with this commitment, MD Anderson furthered its efforts last year through a partnership with Rice University to establish the Cancer Bioengineering Collaborative. This collaboration focuses on both fundamental and translational cancer research, developing cutting-edge technologies for cancer detection and therapy, and securing external funding to support continued research and training.  Learn more about Houston’s life sciences ecosystem. 
Read More

Related Events

Health Care

The Future of Health Care: Thought Leader Series

Health care is at a pivotal moment, and Houston—home to the world’s largest medical complex—is at the forefront of innovation, policy, and systemic change. Join us for The Future of Health Care: A Thought Leader…

Learn More
Learn More
Executive Partners